When Evil Walks the Streets of Boston
by DoYouBelieveInGhosts
Summary: The Sole Survivor delivers a present to Kent Connolly as a token of appreciation for the Silver Shroud's Number One Fan, a completely original, fully drawn Silver Shroud comic book created by Sole!


**When Evil Walks the Streets of Boston…**

Setting: The Memory Den

Characters: Sole Survivor and Kent Connolly

Sole walked into the Memory Den, clutching a package they had been waiting to deliver ever since the idea of what was inside it first came to them. Sole had on the Silver Shroud armor and hat that Kent Connolly had beefed up over the months of Sole working in the Commonwealth as the Shroud.

Sole passed Irma and Dr. Amari, saying hello, but continued on into Kent's room. The ghoul stood over his radio set, monitoring his broadcast. Sole approached him and tapped him on the shoulder.

Kent turned to greet Sole, "How ya' doing, Shroud?"

"I'm good, Kent. I have something for you." Sole kept the package hidden behind them.

"What would that be?" Kent asked, raising an eyebrow.

Sole pulled their hand around and handed Kent the package. Sole smiled as their friend opened it up and took out the finished version of an original "Tales of The Silver Shroud" comic book that Sole had written, drawn, and colored for Kent.

Kent did quadruple takes on the comic and at Sole. "You made this for me?" Kent asked, shocked.

"You deserve it. The Silver Shroud wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you." Sole told him.

Kent's eyes began to water. He had been reading every comic of the Silver Shroud he could find since he was a kid. He had a collection of his favorite near perfect books in his desk that he would read to feel nostalgic. And now he had brand new Silver Shroud comic to read, made just for him, by the Silver Shroud.

"This is amazing! I can't thank you enough for this, Shroud." Kent said.

"No need for thanks. I'll leave you to read it. After all, crime never sleeps." Sole lowered the hat to cover their eyes and disappeared out the door of Kent's room.

Kent marveled at the cover of the book. It was simple yet dramatic.; it was the Silver Shroud with his Silver Submachine gun standing on a tall building looking out over the desolate city in the Commonwealth. Kent realized that this was a tale of the Silver Shroud in the very city he lived in. Could Sole have written a story based on their own adventures as the Silver Shroud? Kent was now more excited, because these were real stories!

Kent opened up the book and began reading. The first thing he noticed while reading was that, much like the original comics, the Shroud's face was covered by the shadow created by his hat. Kent loved that Sole had taken inspiration from the originals.

Kent continued to read:

_The Shroud was looking out over the derelict city of what used to be Boston. A cool wind blew his coat while he monologue-ed about how the bombs had made crime not only common, but the norm for the Commonwealth._

"_Not if the Silver Shroud has anything to say about it!" Shroud said and leapt down from the building he was perched on. Shroud took off into the night, on patrol for anyone that needed to be saved or stopped._

_Shroud snuck past a few Super Mutant dens and some abandoned buildings, the Silver Submachine gun at the ready for any foes that dared attack him. The Commonwealth was a dangerous place even for a hero, he thought._

_Shroud heard a noise in an alley and went on to investigate, keeping a firm grip on the gun. Shroud cautiously approached the wall and pressed his body up against it. He poked his head around the corner: the alley appeared empty. Shroud was confused, he could've sworn he had heard a noise!_

_Shroud stepped into the alley, looking all around for something that could've made a sound: a rat, a radroach, maybe a dog? Shroud was halfway in the alley when he heard a horrifying yell come from above. Shroud looked up just in time to see a Super Mutant Suicider falling towards him, mini nuke in hand._

"_DIE, HUMAN!" the Mutant screamed._

_Shroud had to think fast. There was no way he could get out of the alley in time to clear the blast. He had to keep the mini nuke from going off. Shroud's training and quick wit suddenly came to him and he took aim with the Silver Submachine gun up at the Super Mutant._

_Shroud couldn't save the Mutant's life. If the mini nuke didn't kill him, the fall was going to. Shroud aimed the Silver Submachine gun at the Super Mutant's arm, where the shoulder and arm met. Shroud opened fire and before the Mutant could activate the mini nuke, the volley of bullets had cut off his arm completely._

_Shroud dived forward and caught the mini nuke before it hit the ground. Shroud also dodged out of the way of the falling Super Mutant. He disarmed the mini nuke and put away the warhead within his coat. He would have to find a way to dispose of the hazardous nuclear material sometime later. Shroud didn't hear anymore Super Mutants, which was odd._

_Super Mutant Suiciders usually were part of a larger group of Super Mutants, but this one was alone. Shroud approached the Super Mutant's body and began to inspect it for clues. He eventually found a note with details expressing what the Shroud looked like and where he usually patrolled at night. It also contained instructions about what the Mutant was to do if he failed to kill the Shroud. Apparently, if the Super Mutant failed, he was to go an address not far from their location._

_Shroud realized this was more than just a simple attack. Someone wanted the Silver Shroud out of the picture._

"_But why?" Shroud wondered._

_Shroud decided to investigate further and made his way towards the address listed in the note. Shroud crept around a few busted cars and some rubble until he could see the address clearly. There were two raiders standing outside, illuminated by a working streetlight. Shroud wasn't going to be able to get in from the front without drawing unwanted attention. He would have to find another way inside._

_Shroud crept around the block, whereas Grognak would've simply charged straight ahead and gone in the front. Shroud was smarter than that. He needed to find out why the raiders wanted to kill him now of all times. Shroud crept silently, the raiders had no idea he was even there. He eventually found an open window on the side of the building and crawled inside._

_Shroud readied the Silver Submachine gun for anyone. He was in the belly of the beast now. These raiders wanted him dead and if they saw him, they wouldn't hesitate to try such a feat. Shroud heard voices around the corner. He crept along the wall, quiet as a whisper. He could hear the voices clearly now. Three raiders were arguing over something:_

"_This is the wrong girl, you idiot!" one of them said._

"_What do you mean it's the wrong girl?" another asked._

"_I told you mugs to kidnap the Stockton girl from Bunker Hill!" the first replied._

"_If this isn't her, then who is it?" a third asked._

"_Just some Commonwealth broad. How are we gonna collect the ransom from Old Man Stockton if we don't even have the right hostage?!" the first replied. Shroud realized he must've been the leader._

"_It's okay, boss. We'll get the Stockton girl. What do you want us to do with this one?" one of them asked._

"_Kill her. She's no good to us." the leader said coldly._

_The scoundrels! Killing an innocent simply because they don't believe she's any good?! These raiders had already kidnapped one person and now they were talking about murdering her and kidnapping another. Shroud turned the corner and burst into the room._

"_Stop right there!" Shroud commanded._

"_It's the Shroud freak! Kill him!" the leader yelled._

_His two lackeys pulled their weapons. Shroud aimed the Silver Submachine gun at one raider, but didn't pull the trigger. The girl was standing too close to the raider. She was at risk of getting hit. Shroud re-aimed at the other and shot them. The raider fell dead to ground while the other ran at Shroud with a machete._

_Shroud turned his body, his coat tails flew past the raider's face, disorienting them for a brief moment. In the raider's confusion, he didn't notice the Shroud's kick._

_WHAM!_

_The raider was knocked to ground. Shroud turned to face down the raider leader, who had a knife to the girl's throat._

"_Don't come near me, you freak!" the raider leader exclaimed._

_Shroud didn't say anything. He'd feared the raider leader would take the girl hostage once the Shroud had neutralized his lackeys. That's why, in the confusion, Shroud had already put in motion his contingency plan._

"_I'm leaving with the girl! Don't try to follo-!" the raider was cut off by the sound of the firecracker the Shroud had thrown off to the side of the room earlier._

_The raider turned his head to the side of the room where the firecracker had gone off, taking his attention away from the Shroud._

Big mistake, Kent thought, still reading.

_The raider leader turned his head back just in time for the Silver Shroud to punch him in the face, knocking the knife out of his hands and him away from the girl. The raider leader fell to the ground unconscious._

_The girl was panting. She had her eyes closed because she was so scared of what was going to happen next._

"_You're safe now." the Shroud said._

_The girl opened her eyes but the Shroud was gone. Lying at her feet was a bag of caps, a Stealth-boy, and a note. The girl picked up the bag and Stealth-boy and read the note. It said: "Use this Stealth-boy and go straight to the Hotel Rexford in Goodneighbor. Regards, The Silver Shroud."_

_The girl looked around the room. The Shroud was gone, but the girl had to say "Thank you" to whoever was listening._

The comic was nearing its end. Kent was completely sucked into it. He wondered if this was something the Shroud had done recently or a long time ago. He expected the last few pages to show the Shroud heading home to Sanctuary, where Sole lived. But it didn't.

_The Silver Shroud entered Goodnieghbor through an abandoned building that most people believed was too rugged to get through. But the Shroud had apparently cleared some of the rubble out of it so that he could get in and out of Goodneighbor without being seen. The Shroud exited the building into an alley that Kent recognized as the one next to the Memory Den._

_The Shroud pressed a brick on the wall and small opening appeared. The Shroud stepped inside a dim room and began taking off the costume._

The page was drawn so that the reader could only see the silhouette of the Silver Shroud. Kent still couldn't see his face, but he knew that he was no longer wearing the costume.

_The Shroud took off the hat and set it down on a table that Kent thought seemed awfully familiar. Shroud sat down in a chair and flipped the switch on a lamp. The light of the lamp illuminated the room, revealing the Silver Shroud's face._

_Just then, Irma appeared, opening a door in the room of the Silver Shroud. "It's almost morning and you're still working that radio, Kent? You need to get some sleep, honey." she said._

"_Crime never sleeps, Irma. Neither should I."_


End file.
